bentley



(No'ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. M. BENTLEY. ELECTRIC RAILWAY AND CONTACT DEVICE THEREFOR. No.446,376. Patented Feb. 10,1891.

WITNE SSES INVENTOR- f W 7%.

UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

EDIVARD M. BENTLEY, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY AND CONTACT DEVICE THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 446,376, dated February10, 1891.

Application filed September 20, 1888. Serial No. 285,935. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD M. BENTLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways andContact Devices Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric railways wherein the supply-conductoris inclosed in a slotted conduit. It has been found desirable for manyreasons that in a road of this character the conduit for the conductorshould be placed outside of the track. In this case, however, atswitch-points where the change is made from a single to a double trackit is necessary in the forms heretofore proposed that the contact devicepass entirely across the car, so that while being on one side of the carin going in one direction it would be on the opposite side in returning,the two conduits being between the two tracks. This difficulty I intendto avoid by having the conduit in each case on the same side of thetrack, so that the complicated movement of the contact device may beavoided in passing from single to double track. I have also devised aform of contact device or plow of service in this connection.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figurel is a plan of a switch from single to double track. Fig. 2 is an endelevation of my contact device. Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof. Fig.i is a vertical transverse section through the center and Fig. 5 is alongitudinal vertical section through the center.

A, B, O, and D are respectively the four rails of a double-trackrailway. E and F are the two conduits therefor, placed outside of thetrack. Instead, however, of these two conduits being in between the twotracks they are both outside and have the same relative positions totheir respective tracks. It will be readily understood that a vehiclecoming along one track with its contact device or plow moving in theconduit may run over the switch, and then being reversed will pass backupon the other track without any change in the point of attachment ofits plow. The two conduits preferably unite at a point adjacent to thetrack-switch, whereby the two sets of points are near one another andmay be operated conveniently.

In my contact device, which may be attached to the side of the vehiclein an inconspicuous manner,G represents the main frame, extending intothe conduit so as to take the wearagainst the slot-iron, and having aflange at its upper edge adapted to ride upon the outside of theconduit.

II is an insulated conducting-core within the frame, having twocontact-wheels I and K on transverse axes pivoted at its lower end. Intoits upper end an insulated rod L, is screw-threaded and extends upthrough the fra1ne,'and has a flexible conductor leading therefrom tothe motor on. the car.

M is a ring or collar passing around the shoulder N, projecting aboveframe G. To this collar M is attached a spring 0, which is attached tothe car by a joint P. This spring extends out laterally from the car andby reason of its jointed connection therewith and its elasticity itforms a flexible connection, towing the contact device. The spring 0 hasalso a downward pressure,which tends to keep the frame G constantly uponthe conduit .while the two rollers I and K, bearing on the upper surfaceof the supply-wire,will be free to pass over any inequalitiesindependently of the frame.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in an electric railway, of two converging tracksuniting in a single track at a switch, with conduits containingsupply-conductors for the respective tracks joining into one at a pointnear the switch, and both placed without and on the same side of theirrespective tracks, with their slots a contact device being held downupon the con duit independently of the contact-piece.

4. The combination, in an electric railway,

of a conduit containing asupplyconductor, and a contact device adaptedto ride along the conduit, having a lateral flexible connection with thevehicle holding the contact device down in operative position andprovided with supply-conductor, with a spring'holding they contactdevice down upon the conduit.

6. The combination, in an electric railway, of a vehicle and a contactdevice adapted to ride on the outside of the conduit and held downthereon by its mechanical connection with the vehicle, and provided withcontactpieces adapted to ride on the upper part of the supply-conductor.

7. The combination, in an electric railway, of a contact device adaptedto ride along the conduit and in engagement with a supplyconductorhoused therein, avehicle to which it 8. The combination, in an electricrailway,

of a vehicle, a contact device adapted to ride along the conduit, with aconnecting-rod pivoted both to the vehicle and to. the contact deviceand allowing free lateral movement, but tending to hold the contactdevice down in its operative position.

9'. The combination,in an electric railway, of a conduit, an inclosedsupply-conductor, and a contact device bearing downwardly upon theconductor and having-a shank extending up through the slot, with aspring connected to the vehicle and the shank, and pressing the contactdevice downward.

10. The combination, in an electric railway, of a conduit, an inclosedsupply-conductor, and a contact device for engagement with theconductor, free to move up and down through the slot, with a spring-armjoining the contact device to the vehicle and tending to hold thecontact device in its operative position .relative to the conductor.

11. The combination, in an electric railway, of a conduit, an inclosedconductor, and a contact device, with a spring-arm pressing uponthecontact device and extending lengthwise of the vehicle, and a jointedattachment for the arm, permitting lateral movement of the contactdevice.

12. The combination, in an electric railway, of a conduit inclosing thesupply-conductor, with a plow-shank extendinginto the conduit. and aplurality of contact-pieces independently pivoted to the shank upontransverse axes and all engaging a single supply-conductor,substantially as set forth.

1 3. The combination, in an electric railway, of the conduit, theconductor, and the contact-plow consisting of the. insulatedconductingcore and a contactpiece pivoted thereto on a transverse axis.

14. The combination, in an electric railway, of the conduit,supply-conductor, and contact-plow consisting of the insulatedconducting-core and a contact-piece extending rearwardly therefrom andtrailing along the conductor.

15. The combination, in an electric railway,

of the conduit, the supply-conductor, and the contact-plow consisting ofthe insulated conducting-core and a plurality of independentcontact-pieces connected directly thereto for engagement with thesupply-conductor.

16. The combination, in an electric railway, of the conduit and thesupply-conductor, supported substantially in line with the slot, withthe plow consisting of the insulated conducting-core and a contact-piecepivoted to the core and in engagement with the conductor.

17. The combination of the conduit and the insulated conducting-corewholly inside the conduit and in circuit with the supply-conductor, witha conductor leading from said core outside of the conduit.

18. In a plow for electric railways, the insulated conducting-corehaving a plurality of contact devices at its lower end and a singleconducting-connection extendingfrom its upper end.

19. The combination of the main frame G, sliding along on the outside ofthe conduit, with an insulating-panel and conductor inclosed in saidpanel traveling in circuit with the supply-conductor.

20. The combination of a contact device traveling along the outside of aconduit containing the supply-conductor of an electric railway, andcomprising a metallic frame having guards or projections taking the wearagainst the slot, an insulating-panel in the said frame, and aninsulated conductor protected by the panel and traveling in circuit withthe supply-conductor.

EDWARD M. BENTLEY. Witnesses:

RoBT. XV. BLAcKwELL, DAVID P. THOMSON.

